Kenora’s Annual Dog Derby
Read about the history of the Kenora’s Annual Dog Derby which was held semi-annually from April 1899-1932.
Teeing Off: Golf’s Beginnings in Kenora
In 1912, discussions go underway regarding the development of a golf course and club in Kenora. Learn the history of golf in Kenora.
Horse Racing On Lake of the Woods
In the late 1890s and early 1900s, it was not an uncommon sight to see horse and cutter races taking place on the frozen bays around Rat Portage.
The Thistle Hockey Team Wins the Stanley Cup
The Kenora Thistle hockey team was the smallest team to ever win the Stanley Cup. Read more about how the Thistles took home the cup!
The Gold Street Toboggan and Ski Slide
Tobogganing and skiing continue to be popular winter activities in Kenora today, but did you know Kenora once had large ski slides and jumps?
A Local Hero
We present to you this journalistic gem in the February 13, 1903 issue of the Rat Portage Miner about a coat thief and a local hero.
Christmas in Rat Portage
Christmas in Rat Portage was a community celebration. Perhaps the isolation, and the distance from extended families, was behind this tradition of the whole town gathering together.
Dear Mother: A Bride’s Letters Home
On December 31, 1912, Nellie Perry Winslow of Saco, Maine, married Joseph Rideout of Kenora, Ontario. The following are excerpts of letters written by Nellie to her mother describing her new life in Kenora during her first few months of marriage.
The Five Roses Cookbook
The Five Roses Cookbook: Being a Manual of Good Recipes was a compilation of almost 600 recipes carefully chosen from the contribution of over two thousand successful users of Five Roses flour throughout Canada and was issued by the Lake of the Woods Milling Company.
The Women of Kenora
For International Women’s Day, we take a look at some of the women-led organizations in Kenora’s history and their various contributions.
On Active Duty
Through their letters home, take a glimpse into the day-to-day lives of three Kenora soldiers serving overseas during various wars.
Where is the Real Massacre Island?
Tales of Massacre Island have been passed on through oral story-telling, but the facts became skewed. So where is the real Massacre Island?
Waiting for Break-up on Lake of the Woods
A collection of letters written by a mother to her family in 1966 as she waited, stranded at the cottage in spring, for the ice to break-up.
The Hudson’s Bay Company in Rat Portage
The Hudson’s Bay Company in Rat Portage Vol. 14 No. 2by the Hudson’s Bay Company Archives 1836. That is the earliest reference to a trading post near the site known as Portage du Rat or the rat carrying place. It seems likely that the post was built to...McLeod Park
McLeod Park Vol. 13 No. 3by Lori Nelson There’s a small parcel of land situated between downtown Kenora and Tunnel Island that, in its history, mirrors a substantial part of the development of the entire area. McLeod Park wasn’t always the gem of a park that it is...Farming on the Canadian Shield
Farming on the Canadian Shield Vol. 16 No. 2 LOUIS HILLARD’S FINE FARM Rat Portage Miner and News – September 6, 1904 Excerpted from a letter written to the editor by a visitor to Mr. Hillard’s farm which was located in Jaffray, about 2 miles from downtown Rat Portage...Western Algoma Brick Co.
Western Algoma Brick Co. Vol. 17 No. 2 On July 31, 1894, the local newspaper, The Semi-Weekly Record, made this pronouncement… “The wooden era of our town is at an end and we have entered upon the brick and stone era.” For the community of Rat Portage, whose...The Prominent Business Houses of Rat Portage
The Prominent Business Houses of Rat Portage Vol. 18 No. 4 In 1888, “The New West”, a publication from Winnipeg, Manitoba, published the following account entitled Prominent Business Houses of Rat Portage. QUEEN’S HOTELRigney Bros., Proprietors, Rat Portage–One of...Rat Portage Becomes Kenora
Local legend has it that the town’s name was changed from Rat Portage to Kenora because the Maple Leaf Milling Company was reluctant to establish a mill here if it meant having to put the word rat on their flour bags. Adding credence to the story is that when the milling company did build here in 1905, Rat Portage was no longer. The town’s new name was Kenora.
The Struggle for Daylight Savings Time
Some sprang forward and others flatly refused to budge on May 1st, 1914 in the Town of Kenora during the region’s first Daylight Savings Time.
1900
A summary of major events taking place in the year 1900 in the Rat Portage / Kenora area and on Lake of the Woods.
1901
A summary of major events taking place in the year 1901 in the Rat Portage / Kenora area and on Lake of the Woods.
1902
A summary of major events taking place in the year 1902 in the Rat Portage / Kenora area and on Lake of the Woods.
1903
A summary of major events taking place in the year 1903 in the Rat Portage / Kenora area and on Lake of the Woods.